Monthly Archives: May 2012

Well after two attempts in the middle of a drought, we got “rained out” of cutting wheat. We got a “shower” of 0.07 that made the wheat jump up two points in moisture and made it cut tough. So everything is back in the barn waiting on the next rain event and what we will do…………..

A quick review of the rain totals collected by my weather stations show that in the month of April I have had 2.04 inches of rain here at HQ. For May as of this morning, with a “significant rain event almost a guarantee” (statement by local weather guesser), we have had 0.21 inch of rain. YTD its 9.67.

The big April rain total came mostly out of three big rains on the 4th, 13 and 16th. Each rain was a total of 0.5 inch.

It will take a significant rain event to get the moisture to meet.

On news of my soybean crop, which is not planted, as in zero or none, I am still waiting for my seed production beans to get from South America to here. Like it matters now, no moisture is no reason to plant. I just about broke the blade on my pocket knife trying to dig for moisture yesterday. Plus the weeds are about to take the field for the third time. I am running out of options on what to spray to control the weeds……….

I took these pictures while sampling on a client of mine who has planted 15 inch row wheat. The wheat looks great and I am excited to see and hear how it yields. It would be great to be able to do away with a grain drill………..

Well I have 45 acres or so of anhydrous left to sidedress when the corn gets a little bigger. Other than that it is sit back and wait on my seed beans. Yep sitting and waiting on my parent seed. Seems they are having a time clearing customs.

Wheat harvest is approaching fast. I think it will cut about the first of June. This will be the earliest wheat harvest I can ever imagine. I need to start getting bins ready while it is still cool.

Lots of anhydrous going on this week around the area. Side dressing corn is my second favorite part of growing corn. Number 1 is shelling it! But I love side dressing corn almost as much as running the combine.

There is just something about how the corn reacts a few days after the tool bar opens up the soil and the plant grabs the nitrogen that makes me know we have a shot at a big crop. I say shot because it all comes down to rain and weather in the end, but I always feel that I gave it every chance when I side dress.

Here is a few pictures I took. The first is my tractor and tank applying anhydrous behind the house when I got started on Tuesday night.

This last picture I took when down at Cornersville, IL pulling some soil samples on ground farmed by David Hale. It had just been side dressed and they have closers on the tool bar that made the little mole mound. I really like this picture also.